Elevators
by LittleK3
Summary: There's a dispute between countries, and little Alfred and Matthew get caught in the middle of it. After being kidnapped and left to die on an elevator, Francis and Arthur are in a race against the clock to find and save them. But will they be to late?
1. Chapter 1

Elevators

**A/N: HEY! LittleK3 here! So, a couple nights ago, I had a really weird dream that tied into one I had last year. The big theme of the dreams: elevators! I have taken the main idea from the dream, tweaked it, added things, and turned it into a story! If you are wondering, I do not normally have dreams about elevators. I have weird dreams, but only one or two about elevators. I'm not writing this from an asylum. Yet. JK! Anyway, I'll finish the authors note here before I scare away you readers.**

**Disclaimer: Do I wish I owned Hetalia- Yes! Do I own it in reality- No! :( But, I can dream...**

Prologue

Alfred awoke to a throbbing in his head and a cold, hard surface beneath him. He opened his eyes, only to find more darkness. Panicking, he called out franticly for his brother and fathers. "MATTIE! PAPA! DAD! WHERE ARE YOU?" His calls were met by low moans coming from his right. As his eyes adjusted, he saw his brother, Matthew lying next to him. "MATTIE!" Alfred called, happy that his brother was with him, but became increasingly worried when Matt did not respond to his touch. His skin was ice cold.

Taking off his jacket, Alfred laid it over top his younger brother in an attempt to warm him, and began to look around. He was in a dark, metal shaft, sitting on top of what appeared to be a large box. Cables ran from the middle of the box so far up that Alfred could not see where they ended. Just as he summoned his hero's courage to stand up, the box jolted and began to slowly inch up ward. A loud voice spoke from the darkness.

"Hope you boys enjoy the ride. It will be your last! Mwahahahaha!" The evil laugh echoed in the darkness. Alfred was petrified with fear. He grabbed his brother, not liking the large lump he felt on Matt's forehead or the wet feel to it. The little boy did not move.

"Mattie...?" Alfred whispered, "I'm scared."

**A/N: Yes, I know, evil cliffy! So, what will happen top our favorite duo? Will their parents find them in time? What man is so sick to do this to two small children? You'll find out! Please review and tell me what you think! I'm I get a good response, I'll continue. If I don't and there a just a couple of you who want me to finish it, I will. Also, I probably will change the title, but at the moment, this was the only title I could think of. **

**PLEASE R&R!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: HEY! So, I have decided to post chapter 1. Thanks to Rabid UK Fangirl for being the first to review! *gives ice cream sundae and giant hug* Please keep in mind that the chapter one is set in the past, with the events leading up to those in the prologue! If I get a good response on the stories, I will continue to update, and try to update at least once a week**. **I am very forgetful, so updates may not always come periodically. And, I have a lot of school assignments to do, plus softball five out of seven days a week, so my free time is very limited. Updates will most likely come late in the afternoon, but not to late. ;) I hope everyone enjoys Chapter 1, and reviewers will get cupcakes!  
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Chapter 1

_Twenty-four hours earlier_

"Alfred! Matthew!" A loud British voice rang out above the boisterous crowd, "Keep up! We don't want to lose you!" Arthur stopped by a door as he let two young blonds catch up to him and the older blond man next to him.

"Sorry!" Alfred, the taller of the two children spoke up as he grabbed his father's out stretched hand, while Matt, grabbed Francis' hand. "We have small legs! It's not our fault you're so tall and walk fast!" Francis laughed at the comment and urged the others on.

"For someone so small, he sure does have a big mouth, no?" Francis said as he walked by Arthur and Alfred, the latter now pulling the older man towards a candy store.

"We just ate Alfred. You can't be hungry already." The Brit exclaimed as he pulled the child away from the door and back to the rest of the group.

"And a bigger stomach." Francis laughed as Arthur glared at him.

"Shut up you bloody frog!" The Frenchman brushed the Brit off and carried on towards the elevator that would take them to the meeting rooms on the top floors. The two men had been forced to take their children to work, unable to find a babysitter to watch them. Arthur and Francis owned a huge company that dealt with foreign affairs, and had been called in on short notice to help sort out a problem between the Americans, French, British, Russians, and Prussians.

Alfred was bouncing next to his father while they commenced the long ride to the top floors of the building. Matthew on the other hand, kept very still and quiet next to his father, hugging his white polar bear. After a couple minutes, the four walked out onto a large, spacious floor full of cubicles, and doors to offices and meeting rooms. Taking the children down a long hallway, Arthur pulled out his keys and unlocked the door at the end of the hall.

Inside was a huge office with two large wooden desks, chairs, couches, and a floor to ceiling window stretching across the back of the room that had a panoramic view of the city around them. Matt and Alfred stared, mouths agape, at the huge area before them.

"Woooaaaahhhh." they chorused.

"This. Is. Awesome!" Alfred said, taking off to explore the new environment that lay before him.

"Don't touch that! Get away from there!" Arthur said as he chased the young boy around the room. "Alfred! Alfred! ALFRED! Don't just stand there you git, help me!" Francis shook his head, watching amused at the scene unfolding before him. Soon after that, Alfred ran into Francis who picked him up and restrained him.

"You need to behave mon cher," Francis scolded the child squirming in his arms, "we have a very important meeting to attend to. It will be a few of hours before we come back. Stay here and out of zhe papers, we will come pick you two up after zhe meeting is finished. That goes for you to Matthieu."

The children only nodded, and Francis put down the little American next to his Canadian brother. After the adults said their good byes and left the room, Alfred went off to explore again.

"Alfred," Matt whispered, "you're not supposed to be looking around, remember?"

"Well, they aren't here anymore, and what they don't know won't hurt them. Besides, I'm only looking, I won't touch anything. Just don't say anything and we'll be fine." Matt did not reply, but instead, just watched his brother wander around the room. After watching him for a few minutes, Matt moved over by the window and watched the people and cars below him.

Alfred on the other hand, was now spinning in an office chair, nearly running over his brother in the process. All to soon, Alfred became bored with his surroundings, and moved over next to his brother.

"Hey, Mattie," Alfred said after couple minutes of blissful silence, standing up, "You want to go explore the rest of the building?"

"What?" Matt exclaimed, "No way! We were told to stay here!"

"Come on! We won't go to far, and we'll be back with plenty of time to spare." Al pestered his brother for a few minutes, until Matt finally agreed. "YES!"

"BUT-we can't go to far. We should stay on this floor, or the ones just above and below. No further."

"Fine." Alfred sighed as he ran towards the door. Matt stayed where he was until his brother came and dragged him out the door. "Room 221. Remember that Mattie, or we won't be able to get back." With that said, the duo set out towards the main rooms, completely oblivious to the silver haired man watching them from across the hall.

**A/N: Yes, another aspect of the mystery has been reveled! The first person who can guess who the silver haired man is gets any cake/pie/dessert of their choosing! Please PM your answer so everyone else can have a chance to try and figure it out. I'll announce the winner in the author's note of Chapter 2.  
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**R&R please! It gives me reason to continue writing!  
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	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: HEY! It's time for chapter 2! Exciting, right? ;P Anyway, thanks to aph-love34 for guessing who the bad guy was. Though she didn't get it right, she still gets a giant cookie! And thanks to Rabid UK fangirl and Kulwych for reviewing the prologue and chapter 1! You're reviews made my day. :D **

**** Kulwych **- Thank you! Please, point out anything you think I need to fix/improve on! I will look into what you think I need to do to improve my writing.  
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Chapter 2

Alfred and Matt made their way towards the elevator, sneaking past the conference room that was growing louder and louder as the argument commencing inside got worse. Alfred paused to eavesdrop on the conversation, nearly falling over as Matt crashed into him.

"Broke the rules...shouldn't have...leave...insulted..." Though he wanted to stay longer and hear more, Matt was getting anxious and began tugging his brother away from the door. The two made their way through the floor they were on, snacking in the kitchen, playing hide and seek in the cubicles, and exploring the unlocked rooms.

One room was filled with cleaning supplies, another with office supplies, and others led to small offices with desks crowded with paper work. It took them almost an hour to finish the whole floor, and Alfred was ready to move on.

"C'mon Mattie! Let's head to the next floor!" Alfred dragged his brother, who had been trying to return to the safety of the office, towards the elevator.

"But," Matt protested, "we don't know when they'll finish! If we're not back by the time they are done we are going to be in so much trouble."

"Don't worry Matt, it'll be fine! Now lets go!" The shyer blond followed his brother towards the elevator, and got in. "We are on floor 54 of 60. We only will have to go down one from the next floor, and up one from the other, so we don't need to remember the number." As the elevator began the short trip up, Matt and Alfred looked out of the clear glass elevator at the city surrounding them. They didn't however, see the man on the roof of the build across the street watching them through binoculars.

When the elevator reached its destination, the duo stepped off into a floor filled with more offices.

"Aw, man!" Al exclaimed looking around, "It's exactly the same as the last floor! C'mon Matt, let's go to the first floor! I saw a play area we could go to for a while!"

"No," Matt said, "You promised only the floors directly above and below ours. I'm not going."

"Please, Mattie. We don't have to stay long. Five minutes, and then we'll be back in the office. I _swear."_

"Fine, five minutes." Alfred whooped with joy and once again dragged his brother towards the elevator. A couple floors down, a janitor got on, and Matt and Alfred instinctively moved over and as far away from the man as they could. He rode all the way down to the first floor with the boys, getting off right behind them when the elevator reached its destination.

Matt moved closer to his brother, and whispered in his ear, "Al, that guy is freaking me out."

"Don't worry Mattie," Alfred replied, taking his brothers hand and leading him over to the play area, "I'm a hero, and I'll protect you. Promise!" Al smiled reassuringly at his younger brother, and they ran off, hand in hand, towards a group of kids playing in a ball pit(1).

* * *

><p>The janitor, however, had now reached the far end of the floor, with a perfect view of the two blond children. Pulling a cell phone out of his pocket, he called his leader. "The children are now playing in the ball pit. Get ready to send in the extraction team." With that, he made eye contact with a silver haired man with red eyes who was watching the children from a bench. After that, the man got up and walked over to the children, palms sweaty out of anxiety, eyes looking over towards a woman with blond hair watching his every move, light glinting off the knife she revealed to remind him of the consequence of failure. He gulped and stopped next to two small blonds who were building a skyscraper out of Lego's.<p>

The bigger of the two had blue eyes, and a strand of hair that stuck up, and the smaller one had violet eyes and an odd little curl drooping out of his hair. They looked up at his approach. Sick to his stomach about what he had to do, he started talking to the kids.

"Hey," he said, not quite sure what to say, "that's a pretty awesome building you guys got there!" They made no reply, but instead looked back to their building and added on a whole floor of red and white blocks. The silver-haired man was now becoming desperate, and sweat broke out on his forehead as he looked over at the Chinese man now watching his performance with the woman with the knife.

"You guys want to come with me, and get some candy? The store is pretty empty and you can have anything you want. And, being the awesome person I am, I will buy." The child with blue eyes looked up at him and was about to say something when the other one elbowed him and whispered in his ear. He could just make out what the kid was saying.

"Al, no! Remember what Mr. Vash said about stranger danger(2)!"

"But Mattie," the other boy, Al, replied, "I want some candy! I'm starving! Look, we'll get the candy and then run off and go back up stairs!" The other child, Matt, was about to say something but was cut off by Al's reply to the adult. "We'd love to!" The silver haired man visibly relaxed, and grabbed a hand of each child, walking them over to the store.

_Okay, this is working! _The man thought to himself. _If everything goes well, I'll have Ludwig __and Feliciano__ back in no time!_ His thoughts were interrupted by a voice from his right.

"What's your name?" It was Al.

"Gilbert."

"Oh. Okay." was the reply. Soon after, they entered the candy store, and the children ran around, picking out what they wanted. Meanwhile, the two people watching their process nodded approvingly.

"He will be pleased, aru." the Chinese man, Yao, said.

"Yes, things are going well." the woman next to him replied. She took out her phone and gave the green light for the next part of the plan. "Phase 1 complete, get read for Phase 2."

"Rodger," the voice on the other end of the line replied, "Commencing phase 2." The man crossed out Phase 1, and organized the extraction team. He flipped a switch, and all hell broke lose.

**A/N: Uh oh! Guess what? I know something you don't know! I know something you don't know! ;P Anyway, enough of my taunting, the next chapter will focus on Francis and Arthur, so you'll all have to wait a while before you find out what happened to the twins!**

**1-Anyone else beside me have the urge to jump into ball pits when they walk by one? They look like so much fun! To bad I'm to old to play in one...*Pouts***

**2- How can I not include Switzerland's lesson on stranger danger? I have learned so much from him...**

**Special thanks to minnielovebug12 for helping me with the chapters and putting up with numerous phone calls, spaz attacks, and rants. You're the best!**

**PLEASE R&R!  
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	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: AHHHH! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Don't hurt me! *ducks from computer pieces thrown at head* I know it's late! I had a bit of writers block and had some difficulty with this chapter. And lots and lots of work to do! Thanks to all who reviewed! You all made my day! I cannot believe I got this many reviews on my story! You guys are the BEST! As awesome as Prussia himself! I hope it's worth the wait! If not, I'll try to do better on the next chapter! Happy reading!**

**Kulwych: Thank you! I go through the chapters so many times, but I guess typos always find a way in...And, if you have any suggestions on how I can make the switch between POV's better, please tell me!**

Chapter 3

After leaving the children in the office, Francis and Arthur walked to towards the conference room.

"I'm worried about those two," Arthur said as he sat down in a chair at the head of the table in the meeting room.

"Don't worry," Francis said as he sat down next to him, "zey will be fine! We're only leaving zem for a couple of hours." Arthur looked as if he wanted to say more, but was interrupted as the door opened and three other men walked in.

"Good morning, Francis, Arthur." the tall, broad shouldered American named Mark said, giving the Frenchman and Englishman a curt nod before sitting opposite of the two men he came in with. Arthur and France exchanged glances at their company's behavior.

"Well," Arthur said, "I believe we are all here, so it is time to begin. I'm sure you all know each other, but introductions wouldn't hurt. I am Arthur Kirkland, and I represent Great Britain." Francis went next.

"Bonjour, I am Francis Bonnefoy, and I shall be representing France."

"Hello, I am Mark James, and I am here on behalf of the Secretary of State to represent the United States of America."

"Доброе утро, my name is Boris Ivanov, and I represent Russia."

"Guten Morgen, I am Alois Adler, and I am a representative from Prussia."

"Now that we have finished the introductions, we can start the meeting." Arthur said, looking at all the faces around the table. "This conference has been called because of accusations made about supposed betrayal, behavior of troops, lies between country rulers, and infraction of the laws held by all countries, am I correct?" This statement was meet with nods from around the table. "Francis, what do you think we should start with?"

"Let us begin with troop behavior. Who wishes to start?" Boris, a tall man with broad shoulders, pale skin, and black hair raised his hand, and was meet with a nod of approval to begin.

"The American troops who are stationed near the Russian troops are the most unruly group of men and women I have ever seen! They are loud, have no respect for foreign authority, and are always goofing off! Just last week there were reports of them filming countless videos that they plan to upload to the Internet. They run around the bases pulling pranks, racing on another, and the officers encourage and even participate in these activities! Some are even keeping the dogs they pick up off the streets."

"Now wait one minute!" Mark said, standing up "What else are you expecting them to do? Sit around like robots like your troops? They need to let out the stress, cause if they don't, they will go nuts. And, we are working on the dog issue. We can't seem to stop them. The killing gets to them, and the dogs bring back their humanity. All these activities help morale, and make the men and women feel at home. They are in an environment where anything could go wrong at any time. Some have seen their buddies die in their arms, or are worrying about what is going on at home and what would happen if they get killed. They need to let off some steam before the stress gets to them. And anyway, the Prussian soldiers are always drunk! At least mine can carry out proper military drills and missions! Your's are too drunk to see straight!"

"Well, mine still have respect for authority! Your's break the rules, and get into brawls with the French and Prussian soldiers, which shouldn't have happened!" Alois retorted.

"Oh yeah!" Mark said, reaching over to grab Alois' collar, "If my men and women irritate your guys so much, why don't you just leave! Prussian soldiers are so drunk that they insult everyone they don't like. My guys defend themselves _after_ your soldiers attacked them!" Mark still had not released the Prussian, and looked as if he was going to attack Alois.

"Monsieur's! Please!" Francis said, grabbing the irate American by his shoulders, "This is not ze time and place for a fight. We called zis meeting to address zese problems peacefully. Now, will you both sit down. Maybe we should move onto another topic, yes? How about we talk about zhe miscommunication that has occurred between country leaders?"

"If I may," Arthur interjected politely, "I would wish to start on that topic." After receiving a nod of approval from Francis, Arthur began talking. "The British and American people have always been close, and share many traits. We always seem to work together on military operations, and it has been brought to my attention that not all the information the Americans gather, that the British should know, has been shared. Any comments on that Mr. Mark?"

"Yes, from what I know, many operations being conducted are highly classified, and others are routine tasks that your people should know about."

"What about after these classified missions? If there is valuable intel that would benefit both our countries, and save lives, why have we not heard about it? And don't get me started on the information coming in late and causing more casualties on the battlefield! From what I hear, the French have heard more from you than we have!"

The meeting continued like this for an hour and a half. One side would bring up a topic, the accused would defend himself and his country, and nothing was accomplished or resolved. Just as Francis was about to lose control and start attacking Arthur, the fire alarm went off. All the men looked up in shock, at one another, and headed single file for the door, just like they would in a fire drill at school.

Arthur and Francis met up at the end of the line, worried looks passing between the two, and began running down towards their office to grab Matthew and Alfred and take them out of the building. When they reached the door, they saw it was slightly askew. The children were gone.

"Oh my gosh!" Arthur exclaimed as he surveyed the empty room. "Where could they have gone?"

"Relax Arthur," Francis shouted over the sirens, "zey might have already left ze building. Vash makes sure he does fire drills at least once a week with the children at school, so zey should know what to do. We'll probably find them outside, or down le hall." He said this trying to convince himself more than Arthur that the children were safe. "Let us hurry and evacuate ze building."

Arthur looked like he wanted to stay and search the floor, but Francis pulled him out of the room and they joined the stream of people heading down the stairs. When they finally reached the first floor, it was all chaos. Their was smoke obscuring Francis' and Arthur's vision, and it caused them to cough violently. People were running around screaming, and their panic increased as the glass ceiling broke above them, showering everyone below with the falling shards.

Followed by the glass were men in black, rappelling down from the two helicopters hovering over head. Shooting followed their landing, and the men moved in a group towards the candy store. Francis tracked them with his eyes because the smoke was being cleared by the helicopters' rotors. As the men reached the candy store, he saw them pick up two small children, both blonds. His eyes widened as he shouted at Arthur to look at the store. The two children, both now unconsciousness, looked a lot like their own.

The two parents froze as their assumption was confirmed by the solitary stuffed polar bear that laid discarded on the floor of the shop. It was Matthew's. If Matt was there, then Alfred would be also. As they realised this, Francis and Arthur took off running to try and catch the men who held their treasures. Yelling and panic surrounded them as they tried to find the kidnappers and reclaim their kids. After searching for a few minutes, they were over whelmed by the crowd and swept away, passing by the candy store.

Breaking off from the crowd, Francis ran into the empty store followed by Arthur. He picked up his child's favorite toy from the floor, clutching it to his chest, tears flowing freely. He held on to it like it was his life line, and connected him to reality. Arthur knelt next to the sobbing man, trying to do his best to comfort him. Francis held the toy close, for it was the only thing that connected him to his lost son. All the two could think was, _They're gone._

**A/N: And that's that! The end! More to come soon! I hope it was worth the wait. And poor Matt and Al. Poor Francis and Arthur! What's gonna happen next? Even I'm not sure...still planning...I hope this makes up for it being late! And here are some translations from the beginning of the chapter:  
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** Доброе утро- Good morning in Russian, **

** Guten Morgen- Good morning in German. And now you can say that to people and laugh as they look at you funny and wonder what the heck you're saying! Always fun, right?**

**PLEASE REVIEW! If you have any ideas or requests that I put into later chapters please let me know! I may or may not use them, but if I do, I'll try to acknowledge the person who came up with the idea in the authors note.  
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	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here's chapter 4! We are moving back to Alfred and Matt, so I will satisfy some of your curiosity about their plight! I hope this is easy to follow, cause I changed POV a couple of times, and I don't want it to be confusing! Wow, a lot of exclamation points in this author's note! What can I say, I'm excited, yet feel so guilty because of what's gonna happen next! Guess what, I can once again tease you all: I know something you don't know! I know something you don't know! Okay, I'll finish this up now, and talk to you again at the end!**

Chapter 4

Alfred froze near the gummy bears as the lights went off, and fire alarms sounded. Matthew began to tear up. Remembering what he had learned in school, Al grabbed his brother and headed for the door, only to be stopped by Gilbert.

"But," Al protested, " the alarms are going off! We have to get out!"

"I'm sorry," Gilbert said, "but I can't let you do that."

"What do you mean?" Al said, trying to pull away with Matt, only to have Gilbert's grip on him tighten. By now, people were running around in a panicked frenzy, and Alfred stood protectively in front of his brother as the floor filled with smoke. "What are you doing? Let us go!"

Gilbert shook his head, and dragged the struggling children to the back of the shop. Matthew was openly crying now, Kumajiro lost in the struggle for freedom from the "nice" man. The screams from the main floor were now louder as men dropped from the sky through the glass ceiling. After clearing a path, they headed towards the candy store.

"Alfred! I think I see papa!" Matt exclaimed.

"DAD! PAPA! HELP! SOMEONE HELP US!" Alfred screamed as loud as he could, silenced as the men came into the store. They tried to grab the children, but it wasn't easy. Alfred fought them with all his strength, stopped when his head was hit with a hard object, and a cloth covered his mouth. The cloth smelled sickly sweet, and Alfred felt himself blacking out. As he weakened, he saw his little brother fighting against the men as best he could. Using his last ounce of energy, Alfred tried to free himself again, but as soon as he moved, he fell unconscious.

Matt, one the other hand, fought as hard as his brother, kicking, biting, and scratching any one who came near him. He kept this up for a while, but paused when he saw his brother collapse on the floor. "ALFRED!" Matt screamed, moving to help his brother, but did not make it. One man came up behind him, and struck him on the head with the butt of his gun. Matt went flying, and hit his head again when he landed at the corner of one of the counters. The last thing he saw was Gilbert watching him. "Help us..." he pleaded, and then blacked out. The other men picked up the children and ran out of the store.

Gilbert had watched from the sidelines, silent tears streaking his face as he watched the kids fight. _What kind if monster am I?_ He thought to himself as he watched Matthew fly across the store and hit his head. Guilt consumed him as he witnessed the child's last attempt to save himself and his brother. Unable to do anything, lest he lose his own brother and brother's friend, Gilbert stood motionless as the men scooped up their prizes and left the store.

One man stayed, and motioned for Gilbert to follow his out of the store. They walked towards a back entrance that no one saw, and up to a black van.

"You have done well," the masked man said with a thick accent, "you completed your part of the deal, and now I shall complete ours." Gilbert's heart froze as the man opened the back doors and pulled out two small, crying children. They were covered with bruises, but alive.

"Brother," the small, blond haired, blue eyed child asked looking towards Gilbert, "is that you?"

Tears of joy fell down his face as the two children ran towards him, and he pulled them into a tight hug. "You're safe, it's okay Ludwig, I'm here. No one's going to hurt you, you're safe." The children clutched Gilbert's shirt as he tried to comfort them. Looking up at the man who had brought them to him, Gilbert spoke. "Thank you." With that, the man in black got into the van, and drove off.

Gilbert took Feliciano and Ludwig back into the mall, and they filled out with the rest of the people. He stopped only when he saw to blond men in the candy store. One was holding the polar bear Matt had dropped during the struggle, and the other was kneeling beside him, trying his best to comfort the crying man. _Are they Matt and Al's parents?_ Gilbert thought to himself as he starred at the grief stricken family, and had the urge to go over and tell them what happened. He stopped himself though, because if he did, _they_ would come after him and kill him.

Pulling the children away from the store, Gilbert, Ludwig and Feliciano were the last to exit the mall.

The men who had taken the children however, were now traveling the basement of the mall. Turning numerous corners, and running down many halls, they finally reached their destination. It was the old abandoned service elevator at the far end of the building. They worked quickly, silently, and professionally. The door was opened, and they left the children on top of the elevator. Then, they sealed off the elevator doors, and the doors to the rest of the building from it. They placed a video camera on one of the large cables so they could keep watch over the children, and show it to their parents. Only after that was done, did they allow themselves travel back through the labyrinth of the basement to the black van waiting to take them out.

"Phase two is complete." one man told the driver as they pulled away from the building.

It was about fifteen minutes later that the children left in the cold, dark, dismal elevator shaft begin to show some signs of life. It started with twitches and groans, but soon enough, one child woke up.

Alfred awoke to a throbbing in his head and a cold, hard surface beneath him. He opened his eyes, only to find more darkness. Panicking, he called out franticly for his brother and fathers. "MATTIE! PAPA! DAD! WHERE ARE YOU?" His calls were met by low moans coming from his right. As his eyes adjusted, he saw his brother, Matthew lying next to him. "MATTIE!" Alfred called, happy that his brother was with him, but became increasingly worried when Matt did not respond to his touch. His skin was ice cold.

Taking off his jacket, Alfred laid it over top his younger brother and began to look around. He was in a dark, metal shaft, sitting on top of what appeared to be a large box. Cables ran from the middle of the box so far up that Alfred could not see where they ended. Just as he summoned his hero's courage to stand up, the box jolted and began to slowly inch upward. A loud voice spoke from the darkness.

"Hope you boys enjoy the ride. It will be your last! Mwahahahaha!" The evil laugh echoed in the darkness. Alfred was petrified with fear. He grabbed his brother, not liking the large lump he felt on Matt's forehead or the wet feel to it. The little boy did not move.

"Mattie...?" Alfred whispered, "I'm scared."

**A/N: And scene! Yeah, so that is it for now! I feel really bad about what I did to the kids! And you guys are lucky! I thought about killing off Gilbert, but just couldn't! He's too awesome, and I couldn't leave Ludwig and Feliciano to fend for themselves, and in _their_ hands! *sniffles* No reviews...I don't what I did wrong with the last chapter, but I hope this one makes up for it! *blows nose/whips tears, takes deep breath and regains composure* Till next week, LittleK3 is out! PEACE!  
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**PLEASE R&R! Reviews keep me going!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Okay, so I know this is a little later than normal, but I have a good excuse! *looks around and whispers* My laptop was out to ruin me! So, I started the chapter kinda late, and then saved it on the document with all of my chapters. After a while, I came back to finish it up, and it was gone! My laptop lost the document, so I lost all my work! Then, I had to put up with it freezing on me, and losing work when that happened cause I had to restart! It was horrible! Anyway, you haven't come here to hear about my life, so I'ma let ya'll get to the story! I know it's pretty short, but I wanted to get it out ASAP.**

Chapter 5

Arthur and Francis were escorted out by the police after people reported seeing them in the candy store. Francis was still crying slightly, and clutching Kumajiro as they walked out towards the detective waiting to hear witness reports. The detective's name was Elizabeta, and Arthur and Francis were shocked to find that it was a woman, not a man. She had long brown hair, green eyes, and was talking to another police officer.

"Look," she said, "you can't just come over here and tell me that a bunch of men broke into a mall, and left without taking anything or anybody, and no one even saw them leave! What was this, a secret ninja training exercise? You now what, leave and come back when you have more evidence! I have to interview these last two witnesses. GO!" She yelled at the stunned officer, holding a frying pan threateningly over his head. He ran for dear life, and Elizabeta looked very satisfied with her work.

She now turned her attention to the two stunned blond men, and made her way over to them.

"Hi," she said pleasantly, a shocking turn from her former attitude, "my name is Special Agent Elizabeta. Now, can you tell me what happened here and what you saw?"

"Well" Francis began, squeezing Kumajiro, "I believe you've heard enough about what happened, and zere is something else we need to talk about."

"Shoot."

This time, Arthur spoke up. "Our kids have been kidnapped."

Elizabeta's mouth fell open in shock. "Excuse me."

"Let's start from the beginning," Arthur said, "We were forced to bring our children with us to work while we were in a meeting. After ze alarms went off, we couldn't find them anywhere."

Francis continued as Arthur trailed off. "We came racing down ze steps with everyone else, and when the men came through ze roof, we saw them pick up two small blonds, and run off. In the store where'd zey had come from was my son's, Mattieu's, polar bear." He held up the bear as he said this, and was about to continue when the same officer who she had driven off with the frying pan ran up.

"Agent Elizabeta," he gasped, out of breath, "some of the other officers were searching through the stores, and found blood, a cloth covered in chloroform, and signs of a struggle in the candy store."

The two older blond men froze at his words.

"Show me." Was all she said, motioning for Arthur and Francis to follow her. When she arrived, the doorway was closed off with classic yellow crime scene tape, and she turned around to see the grief stricken faces of the parents behind her. "Wait here."

She was shocked at the mess that was once a candy store. There were overturned stalls, candy covering the floor, and blood on the corner of a stall and pooled beneath it. Police were all over, taking pictures, collecting evidence, and taking witness statements. After touring the scene, Elizabeta went out to talk to Arthur and Francis.

Her face was grim as she walked up to them. She put her hand on Arthur's shoulder and told him, "I will do everything in my power to return your children back to you safely. You have my word." Arthur nodded, and Elizabeta went on. "Why don't you two head back to your house, and I'll be over soon so we can discuss this matter privately. I'll need your address and phone number." Arthur handed over the information without a word, and dragged the Frenchman away towards their car.

They didn't speak the entire ride to their home, but Arthur finally broke the silence when they entered the house. "Why do you think they did this? Who did this?" Francis just looked up at him sadly, and made his way towards the kitchen. On the table were Alfred's prized toy soldiers, and Francis laid Kumajiro next to them. It was Arthur's turn to cry when he saw his son's favorite toys lying abandoned on the table, possibly never to be played with again. He cried, and Francis did his best to comfort the man like Arthur had for him earlier, but soon, they were clutching each other, sobbing.

It was then that Arthur noticed the laptop sitting on the table top. "Is that your's?" He asked Francis.

"Non," the Frenchman replied, looking perplexed.

"Then whose is it?" As he said this, he turned it on, only to be faced with a video of two children lying on top of something they couldn't identify. Arthur gasped as one child turned over, and began to wake.

It was Alfred. Arthur called Francis over and showed him the screen. The video paused as Alfred looked in the camera's direction, face full of fear. Seconds later, the phone rang. Arthur noticed it was an unknown number and out it on speaker, just in case it was the kidnappers or Elizabeta.

"Hallo," it spoke with a Russian accent, "my name is Ivan, and that is all you'll need to know, da? I'm here to make a deal. Follow my rules, and you'll get your kids back. If you don't, you'll have the pleasure of watching them die."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Wow...I know...really late...What can I say? It was too nice to sit in front of my computer and write, and I have come to believe procrastination should be my middle name...Anyway, I won't talk long so you can all read the new chapter! I hope it was worth the wait! And thanks to all who reviewed! You made my day!**

**Disclaimer: Can't remember whether I put it on the last chapters, but better safe than sorry! Yeah...I definitely don't own Hetalia! **

Chapter 6

Alfred sat next to his brother for what felt like an eternity, petrified over what the voice said.

"Are there _ghosts _here?" He asked out loud, just listening to his voice echo. _Hey, _he thought,_ that sounds so cool!_ So for the next few minutes, Alfred raised his spirits by yelling things like "CANUADIA!" and "DOOVALAKY!" out into the darkness and giggling uncontrollably at the echoes. Unfortunately, his fun did not last long. Just before he could yell something again, a large noise came from above his head.

He felt something fall onto his head, and yelled out in pain. After that first one, more and more fell and Alfred threw himself on top of his brothers sleeping form to shield him. It ended when a voice came and spoke again. "ENOUGH! They have learned their lesson. Do something like that again, and we will not be so kind."

Alfred was crying now, the pain of heavy objects repeatedly hitting him over was over whelming, and he just lied over his brother whimpering. Out of no where, the box beneath him dropped, and he flipped over to keep his brother from getting hurt. _Hero's never let their loved ones get hurt. _He thought to himself as he braced for the impact. Alfred cried out in pain as he slammed into the floor, but soon was taken over by darkness.

* * *

><p>It was around the time that the platform beneath the children fell that Matthew began to awake. He panicked at first, but after hearing a noise from under him and hitting something soft, he froze. As he began to turn over to see what it was, he became very dizzy, and rolled off of what he was on top of. After recovering, he looked over to see his brother lying very still next to him.<p>

Panic seized him at the sight of his brother lying motionless next to him, and Matt began to shake him in a desperate attempt to wake him up. "Alfred! Alfred!"

He got no reply. Matt curled into a ball, and started cry. Cry for his brother, his fathers, himself. It was at that moment he realised something was missing. "Kuma?" Matt said, looking around for his beloved bear. "Kuma? Kuma!" Matt was nearing hysteria now, and his missing bear sent him over the edge. He screamed, and clutched his brother, crying even harder now. "Wake up! Please Al! Wake up!" Alfred lied still next to him, and Matt cried himself to sleep, curled up next his brother like Al was his life line.

* * *

><p>Almost an hour after the first round of attacks, Alfred woke up. Groaning, Alfred looked over to his side, and saw his brother next to him. To his relief, Matt looked okay, except for the bump on his head. Alfred slowly stood up, wincing in pain, and began to explore the moving contraption they were on. There were cables and belts going from where he was standing all the way up the tunnel, past where he could see. Alfred limped over to the center and ran his hand along the belt.<p>

It was old and rough, and moved slowly. He cried out in pain as his hand hit a rough spot and pulled it away. Clutching his injured hand to his chest, Alfred moved back next to his brother and sat down. The silence in the shaft was unnerving, and Alfred wished that his brother would wake up soon so he'd have someone to talk to. Sighing, Alfred started to rub his brother's arm in a soothing fashion because Matt had started to whimper in his sleep. Suddenly, Matt gasped, and jolted awake, screaming his brother's name.

Alfred wrapped his arms around Matt in an attempt to comfort him, but his brother just began to struggle more. "Matt!" Al said. "Matt! Mattie! Calm down! It's just me. It's Alfred."

"A-a-alfred?" Matt said, tears streaking his face. Alfred smiled and nodded, but as he went to give his brother a hug, he felt a sharp pain in his side. Gasping, Alfred curled into a ball, trying-and failing-to hold back his tears. "Alfred!" Matt yelled, shocked at the way his brother looked. He ran over to Alfred, and tried to figure out what was wrong.

Checking over his brother in the dim light, Matt noticed Alfred had a lot of bruises covering his body, and his face was flushed and covered in a thin sheen of sweat. Moving his hand to feel his brother's forehead, Matt gasped at the heat radiating from his brother's body, yet the boy was shivering like he was freezing. Loud coughs racked through Alfred's body, and he sat there whimpering. Perplexed, Matt just held his brother, trying to comfort him in anyway possible and relieve his pain.

"Daddy, Papa," Matt whispered into the dark, "hurry."

**A/N: And that's a wrap! Chapter 6 is done! Yeah, evil cliffy...cookies to the reviewer who guesses Alfred mysterious illness! PM me your answers please! I hope you all enjoyed it! Updates may not be so punctual, but I'll try not to leave you too long! LittleK3 has left the building! Later!  
><strong>

**PLEASE R&R!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: HEY! I'm back! I'm not dead! YAY! So, I know it's been a REALLY long time since I've updated, but it's summer now! And I've been really busy lately. And don't feel like sitting inside to work when I could be outside. I just love the outdoors...*stares off into space* Anyway, you didn't come here for my rambling, so, I'll shut up now and let you get on with the story!  
><strong>

Chapter 7

_"Hallo," it spoke with a Russian accent, "my name is Ivan, and that is all you'll need to know, da? I'm here to make a deal. Follow my rules, and you'll get your kids back. If you don't, you'll have the pleasure of watching them die."_

Arthur and Francis froze at Ivan's words. They stared at the screen showing their children, all alone and scared. "Name your conditions." Arthur said, inwardly shocked at how calm his voice sounded.

"Let's see," Ivan said with a giggle, "first, you need to know the consequences for disobeying me. If you do not heed my words, pain and misery will be inflicted upon your children, and you wouldn't want that, da? Already things are not looking well, that child is quite annoying...All that yelling...For example, the punishment for you two going to the police and Alfred's fooling around is as follows." Ivan snapped his fingers, and shouted a couple of orders in Russian.

When he said that, the distraught parents returned their gaze to the computer screen and watched as Ivan narrated what was happening. "You see, my sister and I specialize in causing pain, and what you are seeing here are metal spheres being dropped that are created to hurt, but not badly damage the body." Arthur gasped as he saw his only child crying out in pain, wishing he could stop what was happening, but feeling increasingly helpless. Francis was staring at Matt, becoming increasingly worried that he had not woken up, but he was was blocked from view when Alfred threw himself over his brother to protect him.

Just a as soon as it began, the bombardment ceased. Francis and Arthur let out the breath they didn't even know they were holding in relief, but gasped as they saw what happened next. The elevator dropped about 15 feet beneath their children, and Alfred flipped over, mid-air, and slammed into the platform with Matthew landing harmlessly on top of him. Arthur grasped Francis' arm as he saw his son fall into unconsciousness from the impact. The only up side to the situation was that Matt was starting to wake up.

"Now," Ivan said, startling the parents, "this was just an example, and if you disobey me again, things will get much worse. Now that this has been covered, we shall move on, da? You have until this Saturday to send me 30 million American dollars, or the children die. Also, you must persuade the other countries, specifically America, to work in total cooperation with Russian troops, and obey and respect the officers. This also must be done by Saturday."

"We shall do our best," Arthur said, "but we will need more time. These demands will be met, but it will take a while, especially convincing the other countries to comply with your requests."

"Fine." Ivan said. "You will have till the Saturday after next." With that, the line went dead. The two men, still slightly shocked at the events that had just transpired, slowly turned their attention back to the computer to watch Matthew. He was crying hysterically now, and the parents looked on, feeling so guilty that they could do nothing to ease their son's pain.

"Now what?" Francis asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over them.

"We wait for Elizabeta and start working on the requirements." Arthur replied. "It looks like I'll have to cancel Al's doctor appointment. I am going to start working on the money, you stay here and watch the kids."

And that's exactly what he did. Francis never once tore his gaze away from the sleeping forms on the computer. He could here Arthur in his office speaking with doctor's office, the banks, and Elizabeta, but he gaze never once wavered. Francis sighed as he thought of the events that had transpired in the last twelve hours.

It had all started halfway across the world when the countries could not cooperate, and kept clashing with each other. The fights never seemed to stop. When the news finally reached the ears of the country leaders, they arranged a meeting that was to be hosted by his and Arthur's company in their American headquarters. Due to issues with his sister, Vash, their normal babysitter/tutor, could not watch the kids, and the two men trusted no one else to babysit their children. Thus, they had to take their sons with them to work.

Somehow, during the meeting, Alfred and Matthew sneaked out of the office and started wandering around the building. They eventually reached the first floor, where they then went to the candy store, and everything went down hill from there. After the fire alarm went off and Arthur and Francis learned that their sons were missing, they too arrived on the first floor, only to see their kids taken right before their very eyes.

It was the worst possible disaster that could befall the parents. And now they were taking orders from a Russian maniac to get Al and Matt back. What a cruel world!

As Francis was contemplating this, Arthur walked back into the kitchen, startling him out of his revere. "I just talked to Elizabeta," he said, "she says she'll be here in a couple of hours, lots of paper work to clear up with the crime scene and the like. I have also spoken to some of the banks, and I think we may be able to get some of the money in the next few days, but Elizabeta wants us to wait for her to arrive before we do anything so we can figure out how we're going to go about this."

"Okay." Francis said, turning back to the computer.

Arthur sighed, and looked out the window sadly. It was a beautiful day, and Arthur had hoped to take the boys out to play in the park for a while when they got home. _If only, if only..._he thought to himself, imagining his son running around in the grass, dragging his brother with him.

"Arthur!" Francis said, startling the other, "It looks like zey are getting up." Both men looked at the computer, watching as Alfred slowly sat up and started to explore his surroundings, wincing when he cried out in pain. It was a few minutes after Al got up that Matthew began to show signs of life.

It looked like Matt was having a nightmare, and the parents could only look on as Alfred did his best to comfort his brother. Francis tensed as he watched his son struggle in his brothers arms, only relaxing when he saw that Matt recognized who was holding him and calmed down. It was such a relief for both men to know that their kids were alive and seemed to have no major injuries. Just as Francis was about to voice his opinions on said matter, Alfred's next action sent him reeling.

Alfred had suddenly turned away from his brother, crying out in pain and grasping his side. It had become a disturbingly familiar act for the child as of late, but it never was too bad. Arthur and Francis exchanged glances at the action unfolding before them on the screen. Both had seen Alfred holding his side lately, but when ever they asked him about it, he said it was nothing and ran off to find his brother, but it was what Matthew said next that hurt the most.

The microphone in the camera amplified sound, so every sigh or word or pained cry that came out of the children's mouths could be heard loud and clear.

"_Daddy...papa...hurry."_

Never had such simple words cause so much pain.

**A/N: And CUT! That's a wrap! Alright people good job today! Just so you guys know, I seem to have the most trouble writing from Arthur and Francis' POVs, so if it's a bit confusing in some parts let me know please so I can go back and fix it! I don't know when I'll update next because I write this on my laptop and it's old and doesn't work very well, so I can't do a lot on it. It likes to give me problems... I had originally planned to post this yesterday,but didn't have time, so HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY ALFRED AND MATTIE! Thanks to everyone who reviewed chapter 6 and guessed Al's illness! I'm not going to tell you guys what it is yet though...So, that is all for now! LittleK3 out! **

**PLEASE R&R!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: HEEEYYYY! I'm back! With a new chapter! YAY! *Cheers* So anyway, I wanted to get this up soon because I am going on vacation next week and I do not know if I will be able to get Internet to post the chapter, so I am doing it now! This chapter focuses more on Matthew because he just doesn't get enough love and attention in the show! And I needed to distract myself from all the mean, evil things I'm doing to Alfred...I'M SUCH A MEAN AUTHOR! *cries* I'll explain more later. For now, HAPPY READING!**

Chapter 8

Pain. All Alfred could feel was pain. It was overwhelming. It over-powered his senses and made it impossible for him to think. The only thing he wanted to do now was curl into a ball and hide from the rest of the world until it was gone. Tears came to his eyes, but he wouldn't let them fall. He could not let his brother see him like this. _His brother._ Alfred could hear Matt's soft voice in his ear, feel his arms around him and his tears in his hair. "Don't...cry...Mattie." Alfred whispered hoarsely.

"Alfred!" His brother nearly screamed, "Are you okay?"

Smiling, Alfred put on a brave face and said, "Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry." He lied through his teeth, covering up a cough, and trying to ignore the sharp pain in his side every time he moved. Matthew looked like he didn't believe his brother, but let it slide. Slowly, Alfred tried to sit up, but was struck down by a wave of dizziness and pain in his head.

"AL!" Matt yelled, holding up his brother. "Don't get up! Not yet at least..." Alfred held his head as the world around him kept spinning, feeling more nauseous by the second. Soon, it became to much, and Alfred turned away from his brother as he emptied his stomach of its contents. Matt rubbed soothing circles in his brothers back and tried to comfort him as best he could, wishing his parents were here to help. Groaning and coughing, Alfred slowly found his surroundings stop spinning, and his stomach no longer bothered him.

"Mattie," he whispered, "help me up." Nodding, Matt gently moved his brother into an upright position."Thanks." Al said as he leaned against his brother and closed his eyes.

"You're welcome." Matt whispered as he held his brother in the cool, damp air of their environment. Soon, Matt felt his brother relax and his breathing become slow and even as he drifted off to sleep. Matthew carefully lied his brother down next to him and felt his forehead. He was still burning up. Even in the dim light, Matt could make out the sweat that covered his brother's brow and his flushed cheeks. After watching his brother for a few minutes, Matthew was finally able to get a good look at his surroundings.

Slowly, he started to lift himself off the ground, holding his head and wobbling a bit due to slight dizziness. Holding his hands out in front of him, Matt started to walk towards the edge of the platform, using his hands to find the edge. He had walked three feet to the right when his hands collided with the wall. Turning to his left now, Matt trailed his left hand along the wall as he walked forward, hoping to determine the size of the platform they were on(though he isn't the most noticeable person in the world, he had a gift for mathematics).

After walking five feet, Matt found his first corner, and marked it '1' with a piece of metal he had found on the ground(which looked a lot like a nail). He turned again, hand still on the wall, and walked six feet to the next corner, and marked that '2'. He repeated this process two more times before he found himself at corner one again. That meant they were in a square shaped platform that was six feet by six feet. Smiling to himself, Matthew walked back over to Alfred, who was still sleeping near the center of the platform. Matt sat down next to Al and watched him.

It was rare for him to see his brother looking so vulnerable and frightened, and it scared Matthew. He was so used to seeing his brother suck it up, put a smile on his face, and act like nothing was wrong. If someone even accused him of being scared, he would become very offended and tell that person, "Hero's don't get scared!" Except now, Matt could tell he was having trouble keeping the facade up. The mask of fearlessness and happiness he always wore was cracking.

A low groan from his side brought Matthew back to reality, and he looked over to his brother, who looked like he was waking up. "Al?" Matt asked.

"Ugh..." Al sighed, slowly bringing himself into an upright position. "Yeah?"

"How are you feeling?" Matt asked as he helped his brother sit up.

"I'm okay." Alfred kept his hand on his side as he looked around. "Just wish dad and papa would get here."

"Same." Matt said, looking around and wondering what his parents were doing right now. "I hope they're OK."

"Yeah," Al said, wrapping an arm around his brother, "I do too." Before the children could speak another word though, the moving platform suddenly stopped.

"Alfred..." Matt said, "Whats happening?"He asked, but as Al opened his mouth to respond, the elevator began to climb rapidly, and stop, slow, and drop in random patterns, knocking the children around. Alfred held onto his brother tightly.

"I don't know, but" he said, "this is going to be a VERY bumpy ride."

**A/N: Thank you Alfred for the comic relief! We all need it. So yes, now you understand why I feel really bad about what I'm doing to them...WHY MUST I HAVE SUCH A TWISTED IMAGINATION? Anyway, I'll stop ranting now and spare you all. I will try to re-institute my weekly updating process, but don't expect something next week. I have a ten hour car trip for my vacation that I plan to fill with reading, writing, and listening to music, but NO WIFI! ARGH! Hopefully I'll get chapter 9 done and will post it when I return. And, I was amazed! Someone actually guessed Al's illness correctly! I won't tell you who it is because it's a secret, but kudos to the winner! If I remember, after I reveal it, I will acknowledge you! No promises though...Till then my lovely readers. **

**"Your humble and obedient," **

**LittleK3**

**PLEASE R&R! COOKIES TO THE PERSON WHO GUESSES MY MOVIE REFERENCE IN THE A/N SIGN OFF! Check my profile for a hint!  
><strong>


	10. important Author's Note

A/N **PLEASE READ!**: Hey guys, I know everyone has been waiting for an update, but I need to let you all know something. So, lately, I have lost all motivation and inspiration to write anything, and that's the reason why the new chapter hasn't come up yet. I've also got school starting soon, so that'll be taking time away from my computer. So I've got a mission for you all: I need you guys to help me find my motivation and get rid of my writers block so I can get back on this band wagon and drive it home!

I don't know how long it will take, but I really do want update and can't do it! Please review and PM me with ideas and stuff to help me get my inspiration back! The sooner you do, the sooner you'll get a new chapter! PLEASE HELP ME! And I also apologize to all of you for making you think this was a new chapter, but I couldn't go on not letting you know what was wrong and why it was taking so long.

I look forward to reading all your ideas, but for now, LittleK3 is off line! Later!


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** HEEEELLLLLOOOOOOO! I AM BACK! AND ALIVE! For now. JK! OMG! SORRY FOR THE REEEAAAALLLLLLYYYYY LONG WAIT! I have just been really distracted lately...BUT! I started writing again, and the words just began FLOWING! I was sooooo EXCITED! I THINK I'M OVER THE WRITERS BLOCK! YAY ME! *jumps up and down and claps hands* Soooo...yeah...I hope I'll stay on this little writing high and be back for a while! I don't know how fast updates will come, but hopefully once a week at least. Who knows? Just depends on time. So, yeah, that's all for now. See you at the end of the page! HAPPY READING!

Chapter 9

Francis looked close to tears at his son's words, and Arthur was not much better. Before either could say or do anything about the kids, the doorbell rang.

"It must be Elizabeta." Arthur said, getting up from his seat at the table. "I'll let her in." He opened the door and invited Elizabeta and her partners in and lead them to the kitchen. "We've gotten a call from the kidnappers, and this was sitting on the table when we arrived." He explained all that had happened in the course of those few hours, and what information he and Francis learned. Elizabeta listened intently, making notes and nodding every once and a while.

Only after he had finished did she finally speak. "Okay, for now, I just want you two to watch the children and work on the other part of the request, the one about the other countries troops working with Russia's. Don't worry about anything else-We'll take care of the money and start tracking down the kids." She stood up and gestured to her partner on the right. "This is Antonio." She said, and the green eyed Spaniard sitting next to her smiled. "He will be staying here at the house while we work on the case. If the kidnappers call again, make sure he is present, and knows everything that is going on."

She turned to the other man sitting on her left. "This is Eduard." The man, who had glasses and blue eyes, nodded in acknowledgement. "He is our technical adviser. He'll be the one who is going to work on tracing the calls from the kidnapper and the video feed to their respective locations. Both will be here to help you and act as the liason's between you and the police." Arthur and Francis greeted both men before turning to Elizabeta.

"And what will you be doing?" Arthur asked her, watching her pick up her things.

"I will be coming back and forth between your house and the different locations of leads I am tracking down and the office. I'll try to check in with you at least once a day and let you know what is going on, but if I can't, Antonio will pass on my message for me. For now, I'm going back to the office. Thank you both for working cooperatively with me, and I am very sorry for what has happened. I know we'll find your children." She smiled sympathetically and Arthur escorted her to the door.

"Thank you. We appreciate all you are doing to help us." He said, smiling sadly as he watched her drive away, and then walked back to the kitchen. Eduard had begun setting up his equipment, Antonio seemed to be raiding the fridge, and Francis' eyes were glued to the screen.

"Dios mio!(1)" He exclaimed, closing the door, holding his head. "(2)No tomates!"

"Excuse me?" Arthur asked. "What are you doing?"

Antonio jumped and turned around to look at Arthur. "Oh," he said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "Sorry. I said I was hungry and Francis told me I could look in the fridge for some food." He smiled brightly.

"Ah. Okay. Find what you were looking for?"

"Uhh...no, not really. But don't worry! I always carry an extra just in case." Antonio said, grinning as he pulled something out of his pocket and took a bite.

"Extra what?" Arthur asked, walking over to the Spainard.

"Tomato!" Antonio said, taking another bite of the luxurious red sphere of deliciousness. Arthur shook his head and face palmed. He was always getting stuck with idiots like this. Suddenly Francis gasped.

"Arthur! Arthur!" He exclaimed, "Come quick!" Arthur ran over to the hysteric Frenchman, Antonio not far behind to see what was going on. The two fathers paled. The elevator had begun dropping and rising in varying patterns at different speeds, throwing the children all over the place. Arthur grasped Francis' arm in a vice-like grip. Alfred had grabbed onto his brother and was attempting to shield him from the hard surface of the elevator as they bounced around, trying to muffle the sounds of pain coming from his mouth. Antonio was aghast, and Eduard was trying to ignore the other men and do his work. After what seemed like hours, but in reality was only about five minutes, the elevator stopped. Neither child moved.

Arthur and Francis held each others arms as they waited with bated breath. 

_Where they still alive?_

The question hung in the air, but no one wanted to ask it. All had their eyes on the screen, except Eduard, praying the children would start moving or speaking again. 

**A/N: ** DONE! YAY! Yet boo! I'm such a mean author! *cries* THEY DON'T DESERVE TO HAVE ME TORTURE THEM! But hey! It makes for a good story! Yeah...hope you all enjoyed! I'll try to keep up on all this! I'm gonna do all I can to stay on top of this story for a while! Did you enjoy the little comic relief of Spain? I love that Spaniard...buuutttt...America is still my fav... Yeah, so enough of that little rant... OMG! PAINT IT WHITE AND _WORLD SERIES ARE COMING OUT IN DUB! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY! _Yeeeaaaahhhhh...I'm excited if you can't tell...Yeah...soooo...that's it for now I think... SEE YOU ALL LATER! Translation: 1: My God! 2: No tomatoes! Ahhh...Spain... How we love you... **_PLEASE R&R!_**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: *sings* I 'VE GOTTA JAR OF DIRRTT! I'VE GOTTTA JAR OF DIRRTTT! AND GUESS WHAT'S INSIDE ITTTT! So yeah, the stupid me was listening to the even stupider Jack Sparrow sing that for about 30 minutes on that "Jar of Dirt 10 hours" video on youtube. It got boring after a while...sooooo...I took as break! Here's chapter 10! Once again, I'm feeling really bad for what I'm doing to the twins...Buuuutttttt...I'll explain more at the end! Till then! TTFN! TA TA FOR NOW!**

Chapter 10

Alfred and Matt held onto each other as tightly as humanly possible. Matt was so scared, and Al was determined to make sure nothing happened to his brother. He was a hero! He couldn't let Mattie get hurt! It'd be unheroic! The elevator jostled them around, and Alfred did all he could to make suer his brother didn't hit the top when it fell. The impact of crashing to the ground was terrible, and every time the boys impacted the floor, their heads banged around, and their backs and abdomen became bruised from repeated hits. After almost ten minutes of this torture, the elevator stopped, and then slowly began its climb up again.

The boys hurt. Their heads were fogged, and it pained them to move. Alfred and Matt lied on the ground, unmoving, for about five minutes before any sign of life was shown. Matt found himself able to move earlier than his brother. Slowly, he sat up, holding his head, eyes shut, trying to calm his stomach and wait for his vertigo to stop. He groaned. Even with Alfred cushioning his falls, he still had sometimes hit the floor-face first. His abdomen hurt so much, and he kept one arm securely around his mid-section. It felt like something was broken and/or bruised. He was more worried about his brother though.

Gingerly, he turned around to face his brother and gasped. Al's eyes were shut, and he was lying limp on the floor, very pale. There was a small shiny pool of liquid around his head. It smelled like blood. Matt's breath hitched in his throat. "Alfred?" He croaked out. "Alfred?" _No, no, no! _Tears sprang to his eyes. _HE CAN'T BE DEAD! _"ALFRED!" Matt screamed. If his brother was dead, so was Matt. He couldn't live with out him. Matt took a deep breath. He had to calm down. There was still a chance Alfred was alive. His mind raced back to lessons with Mr. Vash. What had he said about checking your heart rate? Matt racked his brain for the info. He loved learning math and science, and he had been quite intrigued by the chapter on health and the like. He chewed his lip in agitation. He couldn't remember! Then it hit him.

PULSE! That was what he had to look for! A pulse! And check if Al was breathing! Matt smiled and placed to fingers on the side of Al's neck, near the base of his head. Sure enough, there was movement. He could feel his brother's heartbeat under his fingertips. It was fast, but beating strongly. He was still alive. Just as Matt was making this conclusions, there was a loud banging above him, and light came from high in the shaft and an object was tossed in. He raised an eyebrow. _What was that? _He thought to himself. He shrugged his shoulders and looked back at his brother. He seemed to be waking.

"Matt." Alfred croaked out, voice no more than a whisper. His neck was raw and dry. His lips felt like they were chapped. His head was killing him, along with his side, and he was lying in something wet.

"I'm here Al!" Matthew said, sounding relieved.

"Water."

"What?"

"Water. I...want...water." It pained him to say more than one word at a time, and he felt hot and weak. _ Thump._ It came from the right. Or was it left? Al couldn't think straight; his head was pounding. "What...was...that?"

Matt had heard it to. That random thump. He turned to his left, and saw what looked like a box tied to a red parachute with a weird symbol on it, a sickle moon and hammer.

"Be thankful you are more use to us alive then dead boys." That weird voice from earlier said. "We could have been rid of you a while ago. For now though, enjoy your dinner, da?" _DINNER! _Matt thought excitedly. He was so hungry! Scrambling over to the box, he opened it, and his face fell. There was only a small meal, barely enough for two, consisting of a tiny container of soup, some bread and cheese, and a small apple, in the box. It was no where near enough to feed both of them. There were two large water bottles though, and a cloth in a bowl.

Now Matt was faced with a problem. He was really hungry, but knowing Al, he'd be starving too. Matt had to divide the food up evenly between them, and save a bit for later. Biting his lip, he set out a small portion of the bread and cheese for their dinner tonight, and divided it in half. Next he opened the soup. It was just a pot of broth, with no real substance in it, and didn't appeal to Matt. He closed it and put it back in the box for later.

Matt brought the box over to Al, who was still lying in his own blood, and propped him up slowly. "Sorry." He said when Alfred let out a sharp cry of pain. "You need to eat."

"Water." Alfred said again, and Matt opened one bottle, helping his brother to drink it when he saw how difficult it would be for Al to do it by himself. Slowly but surely, Matt got about a quarter of the water into Al, and then took some himself. It was such a relief to feel the cool liquid sooth his sore throat, and Matt could tell Alfred felt much the same. He set the bottle down and picked up the bread and cheese he had pulled out earlier.

"Want some?" He asked, holding them out to Al.

"No." Alfred said, turning his nose up to the food. He wasn't hungry. The smell of the food repulsed him. He could tell his actions worried his brother a lot, but Alfred didn't trust himself to keep the food down if he did eat it. Matt frowned and nibbled on some of the food, but soon had finished his portion the bread and cheese. "Is there anything else?"He wanted just a little soemthing to put in his stomach, but the bread, cheese, and apple didn't appeal. Matt frowned and turned back to the box, pulling out a silver container, and opened it.

The aroma of warm beef stock wafted out of the container. It smelled heavenly. Matt looked up at Al quizzically, and Al nodded slightly. It seemed to relieve Matt that Alfred was willing to eat something. Carefully, Matt helped Al eat some of the soup, and slowly, drained a quarter of the liquid. Alfred felt content. It soothed his stomach and throat, and gave him strength. He was still hurting though, and he was so tired. He yawned and started coughing, and his brother helped him lie down, moving him out of the liquid on the floor.

"Hot...so hot..." He said, looking up at his brother in a feverish gaze. All the moving had made his head and side hurt more, and he just wanted to sleep. His eyes drifted shut as Matt turned back to the box...

It had just hit him now. Matt was confused at first as to what the bowl and cloth were for, but now he realized their purpose. He moved carefully, torso hurting with each movement, and pulled the items out of the box. He filled up the bowl part way with water, and set it down next to his brother with the cloth in it. Matt wrung out the fabric and placed it on his brothers forehead. Alfred gasped and opened his eyes at the sudden coldness on his hot head, and Matt smiled reassuringly. "It's okay Al. Go to sleep."

Alfred nodded weakly and closed his eyes again, "Good night Mattie." He said, and then let the blissful arms of sleep whisk him away into the world of dreams.

"Good night Al." Matt whispered, looking away from his brother and up at the dark void above his head. "Good night dad, papa." He laid himself next to his brother and wrapped his arms around him. Al needed Matt to be strong now, and Matt was ready to show his brother he wasn't the only hero in the family.

**A/N: Ahhh...the end of chapter ten! Poor Mattie and Al...I'm so mean... DON'T HURT ME! I hope you all enjoyed the chappie! This one's so much longer than the others! YAY! And, I will take ideas on things I can do to the twins because I'm running out! I've used up a lot of them already, but if you have any requests of things I can do, I'll take them into consideration!** ** Anyway, onto a more serious subject. I just recently had a death in my family, so things are going to be really hectic with working out the funeral and stuff, so if I don't update next week, that's probably one of the reasons. I'll try to get the next chapter up, but I don't know. I hope I will, but like I said, things are going to start getting crazy around here, so please bear with me through this hard time please! Thank you all, and I hope you understand if no update comes. ** **PLEASE R&R! REVIEWS WILL GET ALFIE MEDICINE! AND MAY GET ONE LUCKY TWIN TAKE OUT OF THE DEATH TRAP!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I AM SOOOOOOO SOORRRRYYYYY! FORGIVE ME! THIS IS SOOOOO LATEEEE! AHHHHHH! Things all of a sudden got really busy and I had no inspiration! UGH! I've been wanting to get this out for WEEKS now! And I finally have! XD So anywayyy...I won't rant much up here, it'll be at the bottom! This may be kinda rushed, and I am sorry, but I had to get it out ASAP! I'll speak at the end! ENJOYYY!** Chapter 11

Three of the four men sat around the screen, waiting anxiously to see some signs of life from the kids. The seconds felt like minutes, and minutes felt like hours. Slowly, Matthew lifted his head up, and a collective sigh of relief came from the men. That was one up, one to go. It pained them to see Matt in such a state of distress as to the condition of his brother.

Part of the parents were proud as to how well the boys were handling what had happened to them, and they were glad to see them sticking together to help each other. Soon after Matt had awakened, Alfred moved. Arthur grasped onto Francis' arm tightly as Antonio looked on. They could barely hear what the boys were saying, but nonetheless, watched as Matthew worked to take care of his brother and himself. All eyes were glued on the screen and the little children on it.

The shrill ring of the phone snapped the men out of their daze, and Francis walked over to pick it up, Arthur too distraught at the moment due to Alfred's condition. The boy seemed to be getting worse and worse and weaker with every passing hour they were watching. Francis glanced over to Eduard, who was done with setting up the tracer and gave the nod of approval. He picked up the phone, "Hello."

"Good evening, Francis." Ivan said in his evil, yet childish, voice. "I trust you have been keeping watch over what is going on, da?"

"Absolutely." Francis said, as Antonio received a call on his cell and left the room momentarily to answer it, only coming in seconds later to write a note and hand it to Francis. His face broke out into a grin as he read it. "Mr. Ivan, I have a proposition for you."

"Oh, you do? What is it?"

"I have just received the news we have half of the amount of money required for the release of our sons. Would you be willing to release at least one of the boys if we give you the money?" Silence echoed on the other end of the line, and Francis waited with bated breath. "Or maybe instead medicine for the boys?" Francis was desperate for some relief to come to the kids, and if he couldn't get one back, he'd like to have medical treatment given to Alfred.

"I believe these are reasonable terms," Ivan spoke slowly, "and I think it is possible to meet one of them. I will give them some thought, and shall call back with an answer soon, da?"

"Understood. Thank you." _Click. _Francis sighed in relief and Arthur looked up expectantly, now that the boys on the screen were fed and sleeping.

"We got a trace on the location." Antonio said, head up and gazing at the two men, hunched over Eduard and his computer. "They're somewhere downtown, in the middle of the city. The line went dead before we could pinpoint their exact location though."

"Ivan said he would call back soon with the news of whether or not he'll take up on our requests." Francis said, sitting down in a chair by the table, head hanging in his hands. "Will you be able to find him then?"

"Most likely." Francis nodded, and Arthur came to stand behind the Frenchman. Both men were pale and tired looking, with large bags under their eyes. The past few hours had taken a lot out of them, but they couldn't sleep, not without their sons safe under their roof. It pained Antonio to see the men like this.

"Are you hungry? I shall cook, si?" He said, smiling. "Is Spanish food okay?" The exhausted men looked up in surprise.

"That would be lovely." Arthur said. A good home cooked meal sounded divine at the moment to him.

"Oui, oui. Use whatever you need to. Thank you." Francis said, smiling at the happy Spaniard who was now bounding across the kitchen, whistling to himself as he began to prepare the meal. In the next few minutes, the room was full of exotic smells of Spanish cooking, and Arthur and Francis began to relax a bit. Antonio was chatting away as he cooked about his little brother, Romano, and the older men found it wonderfully distracting.

In no time at all, everyone was seated around the table, Spanish paella in the center, and they were all eating and speaking to keep their mind off the heavy situation at hand. After dinner, Francis got up and began to make a fruit dish for dessert. As he began to cook, the shrill ring of the telephone sounded, and all talking ceased.

Arthur stood up stiffly and answered the phone. "Hello."

"We have talked it over and made a decision. Tomorrow, you will meet us at noon in Times Square by the center sitting area where you will find my representative waiting with one of your children. Any attempt to capture him will result in the death of the other boy, da? Bring the money in a brief case, and we shall make the trade. If you are late, your child returns with us. That is all." _Click_. The line went dead before Arthur could say anything. He looked up at Francis.

"He agreed to release one child. I don't know which. We'll meet a representative who will have the boy in the Times Square sitting area, and trade the money for the kid." He said, and Francis let out a sigh of relief. One down, one to go. Arthur looked pointedly at Antonio next as he spoke again.

"If the police attempt to arrest the rep after the trade, he will have the other boy killed." Silence filled the room as the men took in what was said.

"I will let Elizabetha know immediately." Antonio said, walking out of the room to call her. Arthur looked at Francis, and they both were thinking the same thing. By this time tomorrow, one of their boys would be home.

**A/N: YAY! ONE IS ESCAPING! YES! This is for all my loyal readers and reviewers! I LOVE YOU! I am amazed this story still has so many people following it even when updates come every, like, 3 months...-_-" Sowy...I do hope you all enjoyed this! And I hope the next chappie will be up next week to speak of the release of one kid! I've got this ALL planned out! Guesses on which boy is freed would be lovely! Winners get cookies! **

**R&R PLEASE! **


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 12

**A/N: YAY! ON TIME AGAIN! WHOO! Let's see if I can get three weeks in a row! So yeah, here comes the big twist! You're all gonna be mad at me I bet...I'll probably do another chapter from Al's POV before I do another from Francis' and Arthur's because I've got a lot of things to put in for it all to work out! So yeah, I won't rant any longer up here. On with the story! Enjoy! **

All through the hours of the night, the two children on the elevator slept peacefully, too exhausted for nightmares to plague their dreams. And as they slept, the men who held their lives in the palms of their hands argued and eventually came to a conclusion. One child would be freed. Just which, they didn't know. Yet. But they schemed during the witching hour(1) and developed a dastardly plan.

Alfred was the first to awake, feeling much better then he had the previous day, but his side still hurt him. Sitting up carefully, he unwound his brother's arms from around his waist. His mind felt fogged, and he was dizzy, but he could move and work properly. Getting up unsteadily to his feet, Alfred walked a few feet before having to sit down due to vertigo. Leaning back, Al's head fell back a bit and he looked up towards the ceiling of the shaft.

There seemed to be a small opening where light was coming through about 15 feet above them. It gave Al an idea. Moving over to Matt, he shook his brother awake. "Mattie," he said, "Mattie, wake up."

"Hm..." groggy purple eyes cracked open and looked up at the boy above them. "What is it, Al?" Matt mumbled, yawning. It took him a few moments to realize where he was and what had happened earlier, but once he did, his stomach filled with dread.

"I 've got an idea..." Al said, and leaned over to whisper in his twin's ear, pointing to the shaft.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"You go."

"No, you go."

"You."

"You!"

"The hero never bail's out!" Al said indignantly, jumping up and immediately regretted it, as he fell back to the ground, clutching his head and side in pain and dizziness. Matthew ran over to him to see if he was okay, but Al waved him off. "And besides, I don't think I'll be able to make all the walking I may have to do if I go. That's why you need to, Mattie. Alone" He said with pleading eyes and Matt finally relented.

The boys had decided that one would go through the air vent, which had to lead outside, and escape. The only problem- each one wanted the other to go. After an argument (see above for recap if needed) Al finally convinced Matthew to go through it. Sitting around, they finished their planning, and then just sat around to wait, snacking a little on the food, Al still only eating the broth as his fever made him lose his appetite.

Soon, the moment would arrive when one would be free while the other stayed behind.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Unbeknownst to the twins, Ivan had not planned for that vent to be opened, for no one thought the children would even think about using it to escape. And with no one monitoring the children in either household at the moment, the childrens' plan went unnoticed. Once it was realized that one child went missing, though, there would be hell to pay for the remaining one. Ivan wouldn't let the father's know he had lost track of one kid, so he would play this to his advantage till the child could be found.

o0o0o0o0o00o0o0o0o0o0o0

As the vent grew closer to the boys, they started getting ready to put their plan into action, but first, it was time to say their goodbyes for the moment. Al really didn't want to be left alone in the shaft by himself, and Matthew did not want to have to leave his brother behind. Both knew though, that this was their best chance of somehow getting out alive. With a feverish gaze, Al looked at his twin, and gave him a hug.

"Good luck, Mattie." He whispered in said boy's ear, giving him a tight hug, and wiping the tears that had accumulated in his eyes away. Matthew looked up at his brother with a strong gaze. Alfred's sickness had made him a little more emotional, and Matt knew right now he needed to be strong. Al smiled as he let go of his brother and walked with him to the edge of the platform.

"Be careful, Al. Take care of yourself."

"I will, Matt! Don't worry, I'll be fine!" Al said, flashing his brother a heroic grin, Matt's coolness helping Alfred to calm down too. "Get ready, here come's your way outta here." After one last high five, Matthew prepared himself for the jump into the vent. He had to time this just right. Five...four...three...two...one...JUMP!

Al held his breath as his brother was flying through the air momentarily before landing safely inside the duct, and Al let out a sigh of relief. "I'm here, Al! I'll do everything I can to get you out! I'll be back for you! Promise!" Matthew yelled out as he watched his brother rise out of his view on top of the elevator. Seconds later, his brother's face was out of sight, and Matt took a deep breath. Time for him to be the hero for his brother. He was going to get Alfred out of there, safe and sound.

Getting to his knees, Matt began crawling through the air vent, praying he would be able to find a way out. Then was the next challenge- how to get home.

**A/N: And that's the beginning of the end of Ivan's reign of terror! Let's here it for Mattie! Our little hero in training! *cheers and waves maple leaf flags* Al's doing a good job, yes? I'm so proud of them both...*sniffles* Anyway, yes, that is the end of chappie 13! Or is it 12...I need to keep better track of these things...I'll count them later! So yeah, I hope you all enjoyed chapter 13! I will let you all know that I may be updating a lot soon, but that's not because of a new chapter. I'm planning on proof-reading and fixing all the grammar mistakes and typos I have so, yes, just a heads up about that when you get notifications about an update, it's all grammar stuff!**

**(1)- "witching hour" is a fancy term for midnight. Thank you Shakespeare!**

**PLEASE R&R TO GET MATTIE SOME HELP HOME!**


	15. AN and Preview Chappie

**Hey everyone, LittleK3 here! This is just a quick little A/N because I've suddenly gotten really busy these past couple weeks and am DYING to write more, but have NO TIMEEEE! It makes me sad...I desperately wish to keep up, and I am gonna try my best to get a new chappie out next week if all goes well! I am SOOOOOOOO SORRRYYYYYY this chapter is taking so long to get up, but I'm tossing around a few ideas for the next chapter. It will probably be from Al's POV, and to appease you all, I will give you a little preview of it before the rest is written and posted! Please forgive me for the delay on updating! I will try my hardest to get it up next week! Enjoy this little sneak peek! **

Chapter 14 preview

Alfred craned his neck as far as he could, watching his brother and the air vent disappear out of his sight. Once it did, he sat back against the middle of platform, sighing, hand clasped against his side. Mattie had gotten off safely, leaving Alfred alone.

Now things would be a little easier since he didn't have to worry about keeping his brother safe. All that was left was for Alfred to figure out how he was going to escape himself. That would be relatively simple if he wasn't so hot and tired...And if his mind did not feel so fuzzy and hazy with heat...It would be so easy for him to fall asleep right now, but he had to stay awake.

Yawning, Al's eyes drooped...He shook his head. "Stay awake, Alfred!" He said to himself. His eyes drifted close...Five minutes wouldn't hurt, right? Within in seconds, he was in a deep sleep. Tossing and turning, sweat covered his face in a light sheen.

Unbeknownst to the young boy wrapped in a nightmare, arguments were commencing in a distant room over the disappearance of one of the children. With one kid missing, they could no longer hold up their end of the bargain! They either track down the escaped child, or they meet with the parents, take the money, and run. At the moment, the latter was appealing the most...

**A/N: And that's it for now! Hope this satisfies you all till I can get the rest of the chapter written and uploaded! Till then, I'll be buried in work...-_-" Bye bye!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Yay! Back finally! Been CRAZY busy lately, but I've got some extra free time so I'm posting! XD You're lives all just got 100000x better. Haha, I wish, but they most likely only got like...10 or 5x better? Meh, whatever. Sorry this chapter is short and contains the preview from my last little A/N chappie thingy. Sooo...not much new stuff. Sorry! Don't hurt me! *dodges flying chairs, keyboards, books, computers, and a llama* Hey! Who threw the llama? Not that I'm upset...I love llamas! Anyway, enough of my randomness...I wonder how many of you actually read these things...If you do, give me a name for my new pet! *Pats llama on head* Preferably one with an 'L...' So yeah...bye till the end!**

Chapter 14

Alfred craned his neck as far as he could, watching his brother and the air vent disappear out of his sight. Once it did, he sat back against the middle of platform, sighing, hand clasped against his side. Mattie had gotten off safely, leaving Alfred alone.

Now things would be a little easier since he didn't have to worry about keeping his brother safe. All that was left was for Alfred to figure out how he was going to escape himself. That would be relatively simple if he wasn't so hot and tired...And if his mind did not feel so fuzzy and hazy with heat...It would be so easy for him to fall asleep right now, but he had to stay awake.

Yawning, Al's eyes drooped...He shook his head. "Stay awake, Alfred!" He said to himself. His eyes drifted close...Five minutes wouldn't hurt, right? Within in seconds, he was in a deep sleep. Tossing and turning, sweat covered his face in a light sheen.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Unbeknownst to the young boy wrapped in a nightmare, arguments were commencing in a distant room over the disappearance of one of the children. With one kid missing, they could no longer hold up their end of the bargain! They either track down the escaped child, or they meet with the parents, take the money, and run. At the moment, the latter was appealing the most...

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Alfred awoke with a jolt, grasping his side tightly, and bolted up right-only to regret it as his head spun and he had to lie back down. His breathing was shallow and rapid, and his heart was beating rapidly in his chest. He had just had a horrible, fever induced nightmare about Mattie. He was really worried about him...If something happened to Matt, he would never be able to forgive himself! He knew Matthew could handle himself, but that didn't stop him from worrying.

Slowly, he was able to uncurl himself and sit up. Carefully, he maneuvered himself over to the food in such a way that he did not jostle his injuries and hurt himself any more. Pulling out the bread, he nibbled on it, staring into the darkness. He missed the sky and sunlight. He missed his family and playing in the park with them. He longed for the freedom that he lost in this little enclosed area. Sighing, he lied back down as he finished the bread and closed his eyes.

Behind his eyelids, he imagined the huge open skies of his home land, the bright blue oceans, lakes, and rivers; the hustle and bustle of the cities, and the mountains flanked by fields of wheat. It is all so beautiful. A smile graced his face as he envisioned himself, Mattie, his dad, and papa all running through the fields, as free as the eagles flying over head.

He smiled. He could smell the fresh air and feel the wind on his face. It was wonderful. Why did he have to be stuck here? He should be outside and with his family, not here in this...box thingy...Al sighed as he massaged his side gingerly. It hurt so much, and he was still hot, but now without Matthew, he could work on protecting himself, not just his brother.

That's why heroes have aliases. They can't be heroes all the time! Even they need rest. And now with Mattie out of danger and free, Al could relax. He was off duty. It was a nice, if lonely, change of pace. The wind roared by his ears as the cart moved up speedily. Then it stopped. And dropped again. Al bounced up painfully. It was almost as if the vehicle was resetting itself...

Alfred grimaced as he landed painfully on his side and once again began moving up. He was ready to be out of this place and with his family again. Matthew had better be careful and quick in getting his brother out of here. He rolled onto his back and stared into the void of blackness.

Now he almost wished he hadn't sent Matthew away...It was so lonely...and creepy...But as the hero, he had to sacrifice something for the better of those he has to protect. A little loneliness was worth it if he could get his brother out of this place. Alfred smiled. He had done the right thing. Now all he could do, was wait. Too bad he is very impatient...

**A/N: Yeah...I know...short...very short...sorry! *hides behind llama* You wouldn't throw things at an innocent llama would you? *Watches as angry readers put computer pieces down* Okay...good. No hurt llama! *Huggles llama* Weird...lotsa llama's in my A/N...Well, enough of them...for now! Haha, anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the new short little chappie! Next one will either be in Mattie's or Artie/France's POV...I've yet to decided...probably Matt's...okay. So, done with that little tangent! These notes are just full of randomness today! Sorry! Ok, I'm really not. They keep things interesting! I think I'll shut up now and stop my random rants. Bai now!**

**PLEASE R&R!**


	17. Chapter 15

**A/N: I AM BACK I AM ALIVE I AM LATE~! WHOOO! Not...I apologize so much guys, I am really really really late on this. I was just getting so busy with school and then had inspiration issues and writers block, but I think I'm good now! I'll probably be slow updating, or I will write short chapters and update faster. I'll figure it out later! For now, I won't keep you here long!**

Chapter 17

It was dark. Really dark. Matthew had not expected it to become darker and darker as he crawled through the vents. He did not like it. At least it had not become too small as he kept going. After what felt like hours upon hours in the cramped dusty metal tubes, Matt saw light. His heart sped up as he crawled faster towards it. Had he finally found the exit?!

Finally, he reached the grate covering the vent to the outside and peered out. He was not too high up...But could he open it? Matthew pushed. It didn't budge. His heart sank, but he tried again; he HAD to try again. He pushed and kicked and pounded on the grate, but it did not come lose. Now what? How was he supposed to get out now? He began to hyperventilate as his heart sped up and he thought. He took a deep breath. "Stay calm, Matt. You can do this. You have to. For Alfred."

He sat for a little and thought, sometimes trying to squeeze his fingers through the grill and see if he could reach the screws at the corner, but it ultimately failed. In a moment of sheer anger and disappointment, Matthew cried out and kicked the metal as hard as he could. He heard a strange sound. He kicked it again. It felt like it moved. He kept at it, but soon was exhausted. He maneuvered and see how much he had accomplished. There was a dent, and the metal was looking strained, but had not come lose.

In a cry of despair, the Canadian closed his eyes and leaned against the walls tiredly. There was only one option left really...To wait for someone to come and ask for help. With that, he drifted off into a restless sleep as he waited for help to come. Eventually, the sound of a slamming door woke him with a start and he looked out to see a person there.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Gilbert smiled as he dropped Ludwig off at school and watched the young blonde walk off. He was so relieved to have him back. Though he still could not stop the nagging feeling in his gut about what he had done to have the children returned. He sacrificed two other peoples kids to get his back. Now there were parents out there going through exactly what he had. He still had trouble believing he had actually gone through with the plan sometimes.

Gilbert sighed and pulled away from the school in his car, and he hardly realized he was heading in the direction of the alleyway by the building where he took Ludwig and Feliciano from. His head was just a mess of jumbled up thoughts and guilt at the moment. He parked his car and sat in it for a while as he mind traveled in circles between the day he learned that his brother and friend had been kidnapped, to what he did to the other children, to holding his boys in his arms again. With a sigh, he exited his vehicle and slammed the door closed loudly in frustration.

There had to be something he could do to make up for this horrendous act he had just committed...Just something, anything to get rid of his guilt! Please God! He prayed, running his hands through his hair. Guilt was just so not awesome!

"Hey! Can you help me?!" A young voice cried out from above, and the gray haired man jumped and looked around. Where had that come from? Had his pray been answered already?

"Vho said that?! Vhere are you?!"

"Me! In the vent! Please! I'm stuck! Can you help me out?!" Gilbert started scanning the wall of the building for a sign of the voice (it sounded like a child) and it's location. There were plenty of vents, but which one was this coming from? The older man ran around and, being as awesome as he is, soon discovered a curve in one grate. It had the be that one! That must be it! He grinned and ran over to it, climbing on top of some junk to see inside. What he saw made him wish he had not been the one to answer this cry for help, and the other was secretly glad.

It was the boy with violet eyes, one of the two he essentially traded for his kids. He saw the boy back away in fright as he recognized just who had heard his call. "Hey! Kid, I'm not here to hurt you! Look, I'm sorry. Just, hold on a second!" Gilbert said, running to his car and pulling out a tool box (he was a contractor) and a screwdriver. The man then made quick work of the screws keeping the grill in place. "Come on, kid, please give me a second chance!"

The violet eyed child shook his head and scooted back further into the vent. "No! You're the reason my brother and I were caught in the first place!" Gilbert's heart broke as he saw angry tears well up in the blond's eyes.

"I svear to you on my life I am not here to hurt you or anything. I vant to make it up to you. I'll take you home. Just, please, trust me. Just this once." He pleaded, a sincere look in his eyes that seemed to win over the boy, who began to slowly crawl towards the German, who pulled him out completely and carried him to the car, smiling comfortingly at him. "See? No tricks. Vhat's your name, boy? Vhere do you live?"

"Matthew." The kid said after a pause as Gilbert buckled him up and began to clean him off a bit before taking him home. It was the least he could do. This was, after all, kind of his fault...As Matthew gave an approximate location as to his house, the German was putting away the first aid kit and getting in the car.

"Awesome! Let's get you home."

**A/N: The end of chapter 17! I really hope it was worth the wait! I couldn't bare to have Gil still being the bad guy, so he's redeeming himself now! YEAH GILBERT YOU AWESOME GUY! He's good at heart. Sorry if he's a bit OOC...I seem to write at late hours... I'm also really sorry I took so long to post...Life was catching up with me! I think I should be back now mostly. I may put up a poll on my profile because I have a question for you lovely people- Would you prefer longer chapters and longer periods between updates or shorter chapters and later updates? Leave a review to tell me or go and vote on the poll I'll try to put up! **

**Next chapter will be Artie and Francis again!**

**PLEASE R&R~! I live off feedback! **


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